The social cognition of applause in classical concert audiences

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• Niels Christian Hansen (Royal Academy of Music Aarhus, Denmark and University of Jyväskylä, Finland)
• Tuesday 10 June 2025, 17:00-18:00
• CMS computer room, Faculty of Music (11 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DP).

If you have a question about this talk, please contact jbf43.

Abstract

Applause gestures – such as clapping, standing ovations, and loud vocalizations – are ubiquitous in Western concert culture. Perhaps so much so that we sometimes forget to question these strange, ritualistic displays of enthusiasm occurring in response to demonstrations of impressive skills during large social gatherings. Even so, not every applause is the same. Rich anecdotes describe how different folks have expressed their enthusiasm in multifaceted ways during different historical times and different cultural contexts. So why do people clap in the first place? And which cultural beliefs and social dynamics underlie the vast diversity of human applause behaviours? In this talk, I will present plans for a large-scale research project funded to tackle these questions in collaboration with Aarhus Symphony Orchestra during 2025–2029. I will also share some new insights from a cross-cultural survey study showing intriguing contrasts in the applause habits of symphonic concert audiences in Northern and Southern Europe.

Biography

Niels Chr. Hansen is an Associate Professor of Music Theory, History, and Analysis at The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus (Denmark) where he directs the newly founded Cognitive Musicology and Performance Science Lab (CoMPS). He currently serves as Vice-President of European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM), Editor-in-Chief of Empirical Musicology Review, and co-founder of the global MUSICOVID research network. His team’s ongoing research projects include “PLAY: Timbral Diversification for Personalised Learning in Aural Skills Pedagogy” and “CLAPS: Collective Applause in the Symphonic Concert Hall.” This summer he will finalize a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body, & Brain, University of Jyväskylä (Finland), where he investigated the role of music in coping during times of personal and societal crisis.

Zoom link

https://zoom.us/j/99433440421?pwd=ZWxCQXFZclRtbjNXa0s2K1Q2REVPZz09 (Meeting ID: 994 3344 0421; Passcode: 714277)

This talk is part of the CMS seminar series in the Faculty of Music series.

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• CMS computer room, Faculty of Music (11 West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DP)
• CMS seminar series in the Faculty of Music

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